Best/worst cricket commentators/journalists

TrueDub

Beasty made a comment in the ICC membership thread which prompts me to start this one - who are the best & worst cricket commentators & journalists? My 2 cents:

Best commentators/analysts

i.e. on TV/radio

Ritchie Benaud - still nobody to touch him
Michael Holding
Jonathan Agnew
Phil Tuffnell - screamingly funny on TMS, although rarely about cricket
Donna Symonds - commentator from WI, top-notch
Ian Ward - Sky's best & underused presenter
Michael Atherton
Geoff Boycott - when talking about technique - but see below

Worst commentators/analysts

Bob Willis
Henry Blofeld - occasionally amusing, turned into a parody of himself years ago
Geoff Boycott - when talking about "my day" - but see above)
Alec Stewart
Shane Warne - hasn't learnt that being controversial/nasty does not equal being a good commentator

Best journalist

i.e. print/Web

Gideon Haigh - Cricinfo & others
Derek Pringle
Barry Chambers - has to be a home boy in there!
Ryan Narine - possible spelling error, journo from Trinidad, writes excellent stuff
Mick Selvey

Worst journalist

not too many for this category, except

Anybody from the tabloids who jump on board during the Ashes
Colin Croft - prose is dubious at best, writes like someone sitting down with a dictionary of big words


Who else would people add?

Dozen Wicked Words

Written press: I don't particularly like Derek Pringle, but some of the dislike might harp back to the day when he was relentlessly average playing for England. I enjoy reading Michael Atherton's opinion.

TV: I actually still like David Lloyd, although (as you feel has happened with Henry Blofeld) he is on the way to self parody. Skys coverage of most international cricket is good and international tournament coverage or BCCI coverage usually has a good mix of nationality and personality to mean even if there is someone you aren't keen on, its usually only for a tolerable length of time.

Ian Botham blows very hot and cold, and is terrible at showing his disinterest in a game or topic.

Mark Nicholas is still fairly inarticulate in front of a camera considering he has been at it for a few years now.

Ian Harvey, not for what he says, but for the fact it comes out of one or other of his nostrils.

I am not a huge fan of Nick Knight, and Bob Willis is worse than paint drying. Nasser Hussein has realised he is the straight man in any commentary team, and more tolerable since then.


Ritchie Benaud is still head and shoulders above anything else, it will be a great shame when he retires next year.

Beasty

dooferoaks wrote: »

TV: I actually still like David Lloyd, although (as you feel has happened with Henry Blofeld) he is on the way to self parody.

I personally think Bumble is priceless:). But then again, being a Yorkshireman, I like Boycott also (most of the time:)) - perhaps it's a northern thing. Now Freddie Trueman was the worst (by a country mile) for harping back to the "old days" (speaking of which, I have the original ball he took his world record 243rd wicket with on the 1963 tour of NZ)

I like Michael Holding's style also, as well as Jonathan Agnew.

I find Nasser Hussein a bit of a pain sometimes

Got to agree on Richie Benaud - although thinking back to the days of Jim Laker - I guess everything was a bit more sedate then. there was only BBC and TMS, and you had to be quality to get a job in the first place (unless you were Welsh, and a former England captain!)

Relikk

It'll be hard to find anyone that could top Benaud. THE voice of cricket, for me. For an Australian he's unbiased, which is rare and his knowledge of the game is unparalleled. Pretty much most of the Channel 9 team are fantastic, except for Ian Chappell, Mark Nicholas and Ian Healy. Mark Nicholas especially as his brown-nosing of the Australians can be very tiresome, he could be a little more impartial as an Englishman. He's not bad other than that. Chappell's just an arrogant, pompous git, and Healy went down in my estimation after the breast cancer incident.

Nasser Hussain's a hypocrite. I remember when England played India in a NatWest series final at Lord's in 2002, Nasser Hussain was captain and Yuvraj Singh scored 69 off 63 balls. It was very early in Yuvraj's career and Hussain basically demeaned him, calling him a nobody and criticised him for some unknown reason in an interview after the game. Now if he's commentating and Yuvraj is playing he can't stop heaping the praise on.

Greats
Richie Benaud
Bill Lawry
Michael Holding
Geoffrey Boycott
David Lloyd
Tony Cozier
Tony Greig

Not So Great
Ian Botham
Nasser Hussain
Ian Chappell
Ian Healy

d'Oracle

28/M/Ireland

Likes:

Holding.
He is easy to listen to, he has an obvious depth of cricket knowledge, particularly good on the art of pace bowling (obviously) and is quite humble considering how damn good he was.

Bumble.
O.k. he is a bit of a clown but he adds a bit of colour that you just don't get with Athers and Gower.

Gower.
I like him, he has a cheery and unflappable air to him.
Even though he is a little boring.

Dislikes:

Atherton, boring boring man. Also paddle sweeps, reverse reverse sweeps and Dilshan suicide shots are cool. A proper cricket shot gets runs, that is all that is required for a shot to be called a "proper cricket shot" you stuffy boring man.

Bob Willis.
Wrong again Bob? How bout that.....

Colin Croft.
Literally making it up as he goes along.

Nasser.
Moaning, grumpy acerbic git.

I suppose you can all now tell where my main source of cricket comes from.....

Gyalist

TrueDub wrote: »

Beasty made a comment in the ICC membership thread which prompts me to start this one - who are the best & worst cricket commentators & journalists? My 2 cents:

Best commentators/analysts

i.e. on TV/radio

Ritchie Benaud - still nobody to touch him
Michael Holding
Jonathan Agnew
Phil Tuffnell - screamingly funny on TMS, although rarely about cricket
Donna Symonds - commentator from WI, top-notch
Ian Ward - Sky's best & underused presenter
Michael Atherton
Geoff Boycott - when talking about technique - but see below

Worst commentators/analysts

Bob Willis
Henry Blofeld - occasionally amusing, turned into a parody of himself years ago
Geoff Boycott - when talking about "my day" - but see above)
Alec Stewart
Shane Warne - hasn't learnt that being controversial/nasty does not equal being a good commentator

Best journalist

i.e. print/Web

Gideon Haigh - Cricinfo & others
Derek Pringle
Barry Chambers - has to be a home boy in there!
Ryan Narine - possible spelling error, journo from Trinidad, writes excellent stuff
Mick Selvey

Worst journalist

not too many for this category, except

Anybody from the tabloids who jump on board during the Ashes
Colin Croft - prose is dubious at best, writes like someone sitting down with a dictionary of big words


Who else would people add?

Ryan Naraine is from Guyana. Also runs the very popular caribbeancricket.com where he posts as Idi_Admin.

Tony Cozier is also very good on radio. Tends to sometimes talk too much on TV though.

TrueDub

Gyalist wrote: »

Ryan Naraine is from Guyana. Also runs the very popular caribbeancricket.com where he posts as Idi_Admin.

Tony Cozier is also very good on radio. Tends to sometimes talk too much on TV though.

My mistake, don't know why I assumed he was from Trini.

I'm not a fan of Cozier, although he does occasionally talk sense. I find him to be a little too negative sometimes, and regularly falls into the "in my day" nonsense.

Mind you, we nearly gave him a heart attack in Jamaica - he was walking past us in Sabina Park after we'd beaten Pakistan (March 17 2007) and we gave him a big cheer, which scared the sh*t out of him...

HonalD

Good

Ritchie Benau
Michael Holding
David Gower
Ian Ward
Geoff Boycott
David Llyod
Tony Cozier

Bad
Alec Stuart
Derek Pringle
Nasser H
Ian Botham
Michael Atherton

Ugly

Bob Willis

Washout

I hate,
Paul Allot
Bob Willis
Nick Night
Ian Bishop
Ian Chappell is beginning to get on my nerves a bit.
Dean Jones
Bruce Yardley
Ravi Shastri

I love
Jonathan Agnew
Bumble
Harsha Bhogle
Geof Boycott
Bill Lawry

BOHtox

"the batsman holding, the bowlers willie":)

Beasty

BOHtox wrote: »

"the batsman holding, the bowlers willie":)

Or, more accurately:

The bowler's Holding. The batsman's Willey

Beasty

or the other one, follwing Botham's failure to avoid knocking over his own stumps -

Aggers to Johnson: "Well, he didn't quite get his leg over, did he?"

Cue histeria in the TMS commentry box

thorpe

The Good
Jonathan Agnew
Richie Benau
Mick Atherton
Nasser Hussain
Christopher Martain Jenkins

The not so good
David Gower
Alec Stewart
Henry Blofeld
Ian Chappell
Ian Healy

God Dam Usless
Geoff Boycott
David Llyod
Shane Warne

BOHtox

Beasty wrote: »

Or, more accurately:

The bowler's Holding. The batsman's Willey

meh.
anyway i've always like "Bumble"

TrueDub

BOHtox wrote: »

meh.
anyway i've always like "Bumble"

Accuracy is important in cricket - ask any bowler!

The Nation

Some of the best commentators:

David Lloyd
Nasser Hussain
Tony Cozier
Ian Smith
Mark Richardson
Ravi Shastri
Harsha Bhogle
Ian Chappell
Mark Taylor
David Hookes (RIP)

boksmashoffice

David Lloyd is streets ahead of any commentator. Ritchie Benaud is too serious. Bu,ble has you in sticheds when he commentates. He is old skool who has embraced the modern game.

Memnoch

Favorites:

David Lloyd - Hilarious
Ravi Shastri - The most articulate and professional of the Asian commentators
Ian Ward - One of the most insightful and underrated commentators.

Dislike:

Arun Lal - want to stab myself in the face every time he commentates
Bob Willis - What a bitter old man
Nick Knight - Moron and ridiculously biased

Aboottarren

I can put up with just about every commentator,(EXCEPT) TONY GRIEG....He will crap on all day and come stumps he has said bugger-all.

Dasbo

Bob Willis is just a grumpy auld fella and extremely boring, as is Boycott.

I miss the likes of Dermot Reeve, Richie Benaud, Mark Nicholas and Simon Hughes on Channel 4.

Thought they did the best coverage of the England home games, it's a pity they're gone.

http://munstercricket.wordpress.com

catiny

I have no probs with most commentators, cept for Nasser Hussain.

During the T20 world cup, when he was commentating on Ireland's Super 8 matches he was very condescending towards Ireland.. Can't stand people who prejudge teams... :cool:

Dasbo

catiny wrote: »

I have no probs with most commentators, cept for Nasser Hussain.

During the T20 world cup, when he was commentating on Ireland's Super 8 matches he was very condescending towards Ireland.. Can't stand people who prejudge teams... :cool:

Hussain has always been that way towards Irelnad and even Bangladesh.

Atherton isn't far behind him either.

d'Oracle

Dasbo wrote: »

Hussain has always been that way towards Irelnad and even Bangladesh.

Or New Zealand.
Or anyone who isn't regularly handing England their arses.

He is a clown.

Atherton is a luddite and a buffoon. He is also really boring.

paulod123

Johnathan Agnew is always condecending towards those he considers not to be his equal. This was very evident when the Duckworth Lewis method played on test match special. Also he never speaks favourably towards Irish cricketers like Morgan and Joyce that switch over and play for England. Bring back Blowers. Oh, how I yearn for C4 coverage again. Mark Nicholas and Simon Hughes were the business!